


Amaryllis

by annaliesegrace



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 05:05:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18025241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaliesegrace/pseuds/annaliesegrace
Summary: Juliet gets injured and Magnum has guilt.





	Amaryllis

**Author's Note:**

> You guys are fantastic. Truly...I though I might have been writing for myself but there are Magnum/Higgins fans out there! (Yes, I will continue to call them Miggy). So many nice comments on Miles to Go, I had to continue the theme. There will be a third but it will be longer with more plot and, have you seen the movie Out of Sight? With Clooney and Jennifer Lopez cause the trunk scene gave me ideas.
> 
> End notes for the explanation of fic title - it was a...saga.

“You didn’t have to come,” he said while pulling out his lock pick tools.

Standing next to him, Higgins kept her eye on the street as she responded, “This is a bad part of town, Magnum. Better you have back up.”

One eyebrow arched at her in amusement as he worked the lock. “I wasn’t aware you were concerned.”

She looked flustered a moment before schooling her face. “Well, I don’t want to have to call Robin and explain how you ended up in hospital so soon after the last incident…or dead for that matter.”

The door popped open.

“I’m touched, Higgy. Truly.”

Blue eyes narrowed on him and he fully opened the door with extra flourish, indicating for her to go first.

Higgins walked past and he flashed her a wide grin, poking at her never got old. Since his stint in the hospital a few months back thanks to Hannah they had both started looking out for each other more closely, he hadn’t consciously realized it until Rudy Wong had threatened her life at that gas station and Magnum’s blood had started to boil. That said, he continued to gently prod at her about it, just touching the edges of her newfound concern that she only showed by coming along on his cases more frequently and checking in when they were separated for long periods and he was working a case. He wasn’t even sure _she_ was aware she was doing it.

They walked into the living room, the kitchen was just beyond it, stairs to their right.

“I’ll take upstairs, you down?”

“Sure,” she responded.

“Armed?” he asked. That was another change as well, Higgins had gotten a concealed carry permit and almost always brought her Glock.

“Yes.”

He nodded and headed up the stairs, hand on the butt of his gun, just in case. They were looking for a bail skip who was being tried for armed robbery but desperate people did desperate things and he didn’t want to be caught unprepared.

The upstairs was two bedrooms with a single bath, it didn’t take long to clear the smaller bedroom, it was practically empty, as was the bath.

As he was opening drawers in the master, movement out of the corner of his eye in the hall had him pulling the gun from its holster.

“Higgins?” he called.

No answer.

Frowning, he stepped into the hallway, only to be tackled by a large man coming out of the smaller bedroom and thrown into the wall with enough force to push the air out of his lungs and send his gun sailing toward the stairs skittering to a stop at the landing.

Immediately he swung back, making contact with his assailants face and then abdomen before moving toward his gun.

Arms wrapped around his waist, stopping his movement and he brought his elbow down on the man’s temple, stunning him slightly and allowing Magnum enough time to get his fingers around his gun and point it at the man.

“Who are you?” he yelled then paused when he heard Higgins calling his name and the sounds of a vicious fight drifted up the stairs.

“Higgins?!” he called back to no response.

For a moment he was frozen, unsure what to do, until the deafening sound of glass breaking and Higgins screaming in pain made the decision for him.

Swiftly he brought the butt of his gun down on the man’s head, knocking him unconscious and he bolted down the stairs. The sight that greeted him was one he would never, for the rest of his life, forget.

Higgins was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, a man twice her size straddling her hips, hands around her neck and squeezing. Panic flowed through him for just a moment before he got control and pushed it aside, panicking would not help Higgins.

“Hey! Back away,” he yelled and pointed his gun at new assailant. 

The man spared him a glance, but when his hands did not release her neck and instead seemed to squeeze tighter, sending Higgins body arching off the floor desperate for breath, Magnum had no choice and fired twice, hitting the man’s torso both times, he toppled to the side, dead, missing falling on Higgins by inches.

Magnum was at her side in a second, gun dropped on the floor, while pushing the man’s legs clear of her body. Higgins sucked in a deep breath and coughed, one of her hands instinctively finding her neck and rubbing at the bruises already forming.

“Where?” he asked frantically, because there seemed to be blood everywhere, and she croaked back, “leg”.

Immediately his eyes landed on her right thigh, which had a nasty gash in it that was bleeding profusely, that’s when he also realized that she was lying amidst shards of broken glass and he vaguely remembered seeing a glass coffee table when they’d walked in.

Suddenly he understood what the crashing sound was – it had been her body tossed onto and breaking the coffee table. His gut churned.

“Right back,” he said and ran to the kitchen, grabbing several towels and returning to her, pressing one into the wound. She let out a small cry but sucked in a deep breath and stifled it. Faster than expected the towel was soaked with blood.

“Shit,” he hissed and got up on his knees, releasing her leg and pulling the belt out of his pants, quickly wrapping it around her thigh above the gash and tightening it as much as he dared. She let out another cry and he flinched at the sound. Throwing the soaked towel away, he applied a fresh one to the wound.

With one hand he held the towel to her leg and the other called 911, quickly relaying the address and need for an ambulance and, specifically, Detective Katsumoto. He didn’t bother staying on the line, so many years in the Navy meant he could administer first aid just fine without assistance.

“Hey,” he whispered and touched her forehead with the hand not keeping her from bleeding to death. “Stay with me, Higgy.”

Was this the same fear she experienced on the highway, watching him bleed? He’d imagine so, though he was pretty sure she didn’t have the same crushing guilt; Magnum had encouraged her to help him on cases, to follow along - and this is what had happened.

Breath returned, she looked down at her leg and hissed, “Shit. Well that’s…unfortunate.”

“I’d say it’s a bit more than _unfortunate_ ,” he bit back in an atypically course tone and she frowned at him.

“He got the jump on me, had my back to the door…idiot.”

Magnum pressed harder on her leg to keep pressure and she whistled to distract from the pain, letting her head hit the tile floor.

Then she grinned at him, “Maybe I should have stayed home.”

Magnum smiled a little. “And left me to deal with these guys alone? Thanks Higgins.”

“Welcome,” she muttered, and her eyes fluttered closed.

“No,” he said and gently shook her shoulder. “Talk to me, Higgy.”

“I’m just…tired.”

Concerned with her slurred words, he ran fingers through her hair, hoping she would bat them away, or make a smart ass comment. Instead she turned her head toward him, almost as if she was encouraging the touch. For some reason that terrified him more than anything.

Once glance down at her leg confirmed his fear was well founded, the towel was soaked with blood again, his training was screaming at him that glass had nicked the artery, but his heart was trying to convince him otherwise, because if it was an artery, Higgins might not even make it to the hospital.

Sirens, fairly close, cut through the air.

“Hear that? Ambulance is almost here, hang in there Higgins.”

“Do…do…my best.”

“I’m sorry Higgins…”

“Why-“ she started but was cut off by the sound of two EMTs pushing through the door, a gurney between them.

They gave him a cursory nod before turning to Higgins, before he could even speak they had an IV running open in her arm, giving her fluids and the head EMT, a tall blonde haole, was calling into the ER with Higgins vitals and status.

The younger, local, EMT turned to him. “Tourniquet your doing?” she asked while replacing his bloodied towel with a thick pad and her own hand.

“Yeah,” he replied and reluctantly let his hand fall from her leg.

“Nicely done, might have saved her life.”

Higgins quiet voice between them startled him. “Don’t…tell…his head. Big enough.”

The EMT smiled at them. “Ma’am…what’s your name?”

“Juliet.”

“Ok, Juliet, my name is Keeli, first step is getting you onto a backboard, then gurney and straight to the hospital. I’m not gonna lie, it’s going to hurt like hell but I need you to keep talking to me, ok? So I know you are still with us.”

“All…right.”

With speed born of practice the two women had Higgins slipped onto the board and lifted on the gurney; despite her promise, Higgins had not uttered a word and her eyes had closed again. As they took her away, and his focus expanded to more than just Higgins, Magnum became vaguely aware of Katsumoto barking orders outside and additional officers than just the ones who had accompanied the EMTs.

As they got to the door, the shock wore off and he called out “What hospital?”

“Queens Medical.”

He wanted to go with her, he _desperately_ _wanted to go with her_ but he needed to debrief the Detective and trusted no one else to figure out who these guys were. In that moment he was better off staying than rushing after the ambulance just to sit in the waiting room, pacing.

Magnum watched as Katsumoto spoke quickly to the EMTs, squeezing Higgins arm, before coming into the house, sparing a glance at the body on the floor and approaching him with a look that was somewhere between concerned and annoyed.

“What happened, Magnum? One dead body, Higgins on the way to the hospital…”

“There’s also an unconscious guy in the hall upstairs.” Katsumoto sighed and indicated for the patrol officer that had come in with him to secure the other man. “It was just a bail skip, I swear. I came here to see if we could find anything to help find him. Higgins insisted on coming because it’s a bad area…thought I needed back up-”

“She wasn’t wrong.”

Glancing at the pool of blood by his feet, Magnum continued, “I was upstairs, the guy there jumped me. I knocked him out, came down and found Higgins bleeding, and our dead guy straddling her with his hands around her throat.”

“You sure this was just a bail skip? What was the guy arrested for?”

“Armed robbery.”

“And he’s not either of these guys?”

“Nope.”

Katsumoto looked around a moment. “Ok, we will process the scene and figure out what is going on. YOU stay out of it. Get to the hospital.”

“You’ll keep me in the loop?”

“Yes, I will keep you in the loop…as I see fit. Go to the hospital Magnum. Let me know how Higgins is doing, ok?”

Magnum gave him a small nod and all but ran out the door, anxiety was creeping up his spine – what if something had happened? What if she needed him and he wasn’t there?

Jumping into the Ferrari, he pushed the thoughts aside and made it to Queens Medical in no time.

~~~~~~~

Waking from surgery was never pleasant, that weird not quite awake, not quite asleep feeling, the not being aware of your surroundings, fighting the sleepiness, the heaviness.

Blinking rapidly, Juliet sucked in a breath and looked around. Standard hospital room, stark, boring, dim, machines beeping but little other noise.

And Thomas Magnum curled into a chair pressed next to her bed, eyes closed.

A weight on her left hand.

His hand, wrapped gently around her own.

A warm feeling took over her body and she smiled slightly, they’d grown closer as of late but the physical closeness was new, they almost never touched (that seemed to be a line they did not cross), so it was strange to have his smooth hand on hers. Though…not entirely unwelcome.

Licking her lips, Higgins realized she was very, very thirsty – but she didn’t have the heart to wake him.

The door opening and a nurse walking in somewhat solved the problem, though it also had Magnum blinking his eyes open. Immediately they glanced down to their joined hands, then her face before he smiled at her slightly and let his hand drop.

Surprisingly, she missed the warmth.

“Miss Higgins, you are awake, excellent,” the nurse said and walked over to the machines, making several notes in a tablet she held. “I’m Leia, I will be your nurse until 7 am. How’s your pain? Can you rate it?”

“Ummm, good. Maybe a four.”

“Good. The surgeon will be in to see you at rounds tomorrow but all went well. There was a small piece of glass that nicked the artery in your thigh, thankfully it remained lodged in place, that and Thomas’ applying a tourniquet and pressure kept you from bleeding out.”

Higgins nodded almost dumbly, it was strange hearing she had almost died, when, from her perspective it hadn’t seemed so bad. She shook the thought and asked, “Can I have something to drink?”

“Ice chips, yes. Water, no.”

Magnum got up instantly. “Be right back,” he said and grabbed the standard brown cup off the tray table by her feet.

Leia watched him go with a small smile and tapped a bit more on the tablet before saying, “He’s a good one.”

Despite the anesthetic fog still lingering in her brain, Higgins picked up her meaning. “Oh, we aren’t…together. We’re friends.”

“Well, he’s one hell of a friend then, wouldn’t leave your side once you came out of surgery.”

“He has an…overinflated sense of guilt, I think,” she said, almost her herself.

“Maybe…but also an abundance of concern.”

The man in question chose that moment to return, cup full of ice, which he placed on the tray and rolled it up over her midsection so she could reach. He parked himself back in the chair.

“Rest,” the nurse said. “I’ll be back in a couple hours for your next round of pain meds. Mr. Magnum?”

“I’ll be good, scouts honor.”

Higgins looked at him with raised eyebrows and he just shrugged, no further explanation forthcoming – she assumed it had something to do with visiting hours being over.

Quietly she ate a few ice chips, they were heaven on her throat, and relief for her dry mouth, his relentless staring at her did not escape her notice as the chips disappeared.

“It’s not your fault, Thomas.”

He frowned at her. “It was my case, not yours-“

“I insisted on coming, Magnum! For good reason obviously…”

“No,” he shook his head. “I should have told you no…Or, at least e should have stuck together in the apartment…”

“Thomas, enough. I am very capable of handling myself, it was my own fault I wasn’t watching an open door. I’m the one to blame for making a stupid mistake, I know better.”

“One of these days, helping me is going to hurt you…” his voice trailed off.

Now she frowned. “What are you going on about?”

“Remember the case with bank teller?”

“Of course…”

He turned in the chair to face her fully. “They didn’t just threaten me, Higgins. Wong threatened your life as well, in…vivid detail. Just being associated with me could have gotten you killed.”

She sighed “Magnum…”

“I can’t be responsible if something happens to you. It would-“ He cut himself off as if about to reveal something he didn’t want known.

“It is my choice, Magnum. What you do, I’ve come to realize, is worthwhile. You help people who need it, often at detriment to yourself. I _want_ to help you. And if that puts me on some two-bit criminals’ radar…so be it. I accept that risk, you _do not_ get to make the decision for me. Are we clear?”

A small smile threatened his face. “Yes, very.”

“Good. Ice chips?” she asked and tilted the cup in his direction.

Grinning, he grabbed a couple and threw them in his mouth, crunching loudly on the frozen bits.

“My god, manners.”

“Don’t ever change, Higgy,” he laughed and grabbed some more, chewing them silently.

Despite herself, Juliet smiled at him before shaking the now empty cup. “More please.”

Magnum got up and took the cup, their fingers brushing gently as he did. “Your wish is my command, my lady.”

Higgins smiled at his antics and was nearly blinded by the wide smile he returned while slipping out the door. Leia had been right, Magnum was a good man, and despite their rocky start, she was grateful to have him in her life.

Not that she would tell him that.

END

**Author's Note:**

> So this story was done a day and a half ago and I didnt post it because I DIDNT HAVE A TITLE. No lie, I was making myself crazy. And then today I was listening to some older Shinedown and one of my fav songs came on...Amaryllis and I thought the lyrics were...lovely and perfect. I have a thing for song lyrics, here's a part of them:
> 
> All the uninvited tragedies  
> Step outside
> 
> Ask yourself now  
> Where would you be without  
> Days like this  
> When you finally collide  
> With the moment you cant forget
> 
> So do I remind you of  
> Someone you never met  
> A lonely sillouette  
> And do I remind you of  
> Somewhere you wanna be  
> So pull at a leash is too far out of reach  
> Oh I wish you open up for me  
> 'Cause I wanna know you  
> Amaryllis  
> Bloom
> 
> Stay a while now  
> Undress your colors  
> 'Cause there like no other  
> Ive ever seen  
> I could get used to your company  
> Step inside
> 
> Ask yourself now  
> Where would you be without  
> Days like this  
> When you finally collide  
> With the moment you cant resist
> 
> So do I remind you of  
> Someone you never met  
> A lonely sillouette  
> And do I remind you of  
> Somewhere you wanna be  
> So pull out a leash  
> Oh I wish you open up for me  
> 'Cause I wanna know you  
> Bloom


End file.
